making news this friday morning. >> day of rage. bracing for new demonstrations across the middle east today, as the u.s. says moammar gadhafi must go. protest nation. wisconsin's two-week sit-in reaches a turning point. while riot police are called to a campus in california. and reaction, letting in after a star athlete is kicked off his team for having premarital sex. and good morning, everyone. i'm mike marusarz, in for rob nelson. >> and i'm peggy bunker. it's a critical day in libya, as protesters are now being urged to demonstrate their anger. that turnout could show whether moammar gadhafi still has control. >> and president obama has a tough, new message for the libyan leader. emily schmidt has the details from washington. emily?

>> reporter: mike and peggy, good morning to you. president obama says there's a danger of a stalemate in libya that could turn bloody. so, for the first time, he is officially saying how the u.s. weighs in. there are reports of new libyan government air strikes on rebel forces trying to get reinforcements on the ground. now, the rebels are getting verbal reinforcements from washington. for the first time, president obama has publicly called on libya's leader to step down. >> the violence must stop. moammar gadhafi has lost legitimacy to lead. and he must leave. >> reporter: mr. obama has approved the use of u.s. military aircraft and civilian flights to help refugees. and he left open the idea of establishing a no-fly zone over libya, which senator john mccain has called for. >> what are the chances that in his desperation, that gadhafi just starts to kill people? we all admit that he's insane.

so, wouldn't we want to prevent that from happening? >> reporter: defense secretary robert gates says enforcement is not simple. >> a no-fly zone begins with an attack on libya, to destroy the air defenses. so, it is a big operation in a big country. >> reporter: moammar gadhafi has warned thousands of libyans will die if the u.s. or nato intervenes. hundreds have died already. and one doctor says he knows there are more casualties ahead. >> all the people are afraid. but this is my job. this is my job. >> reporter: today, there are protests all across the region planned for what's being called a day of rage. so, the turnout in tripoli, which is controlled by moammar gadhafi, could really be one signal of the strength that remains of his power in the capital city. mike and peggy? >> all right, emily. live from washington this morning. thank you. there's a major breakthrough

in the search for a retired fbi agent who disappeared in iran four years ago. the u.s. says it has proof positive that robert levinson is still alive. that's great news for his family, who is waiting at home in florida. hilarie barsky reports. >> reporter: the statement from hillary clinton thursday was three sentences long. but the message was clear. robert levinson is missing. but not gone. it's news that his family has secretly known for several months. >> the proof of life arrived late last year. it was sent to the family. and the government believes it's timely. so, they definitely believe that bob is alive. and they're working to try to bring him home. >> reporter: levinson was in iran, working as a private investigator, when u.s. officials believe he was taken by iranian government agents. >> the u.s. has suspected that iran's been involved since the very beginning. but like so much about iran, the u.s. has never been able to confirm that. >> reporter: in a statement on the family website, levinson's

wife, christine, said it has been almost four years since i've seen my beloved husband, robert levinson. our family is tremendously encouraged by the news bob is alive. but remains concerned for his safety and well-being. neighbors say they just want him home. >> we've been praying for the family. yes. >> reporter: what do you think of the news that he's alive? >> i'm just so excited. i hope it's true. >> reporter: this morning, one thing levinson's family does have is hope. hilarie barsky, abc news, new york. nfl owners and the league's players union will be back working toward a new labor agreement today, ahead of an extended deadline. they have until midnight tonight to reach some sort of deal, even if that means pushing the deadline back again. word is there has been some progress. but the sides are still split on the league's $9 billion in annual revenue. the 17-day sit-in at wisconsin's state capitol came to a mostly-peaceful end last night. one protesters did not care for that.

he was wrestled down by police. dozens of others left by themselves after a judge ruled that they are no longer allowed to spend the night there. as we reported, the demonstrations are in opposition to a plan to strip union workers of their bargaining rights. governor scott walker says if a plan is not passed today, he's going to start issuing layoff notices to 1,500 state workers. and protesters were out at the university in california in berkeley. they're angry over state cuts to the u.c. system and also rising costs. several students even got on a ledge outside of one building. they came down after talks with school officials. it was the second-straight day of protests, in which nearly 20 people have been arrested. after a 41-year ban, the rotc is coming back to harvard university. the school banished the program in 1969, during the height of the protest against the vietnam war. now, the about-face is due in large part to the military's repeal of the ban on gays serving openly. the deal to formalize rotc's

return to harvard will be signed today. northwestern university has launched an investigation, now, into one of the most raciest and also most popular professors. during a lecture on kinky sex, the instructor allowed a couple to engage in a live sex act, using a motorized sex toy. it was all in front of dozens of students. the professor insisted he warned students telling them, if you stay, don't complain later. well, more good news on the remarkable congresswoman, gabby giffords. among her accomplishments, giffords sang don maclean's song "american pie" with husband mark kelly. and she knew the words better than all three of them. she joined a friend in chanting a hebrew healing prayer. it's been nearly two months now since giffords was shot in the head. now, for a look at this morning's weather from around the nation. plenty of wet weather from the great lakes, south to the gulf of mexico. soaking rain will produce more flooding in already-drenched areas. from oklahoma and arkansas, into

kentucky, ohio, indiana and illinois. the rest of the nation will be mostly dry. >> and how about spring-like weather. 70s, across the south. and a warmup into the 40s along the east coast. it will be brutally cold, however, in northern montana and the dakotas. and the expected high today in fargo, a bone-chilling 17 degrees. >> that's not good for people waiting for spring. coming up, charlie sheen makes it into the guinness book of world records. >> oh, boy. and reaction from students and players after a top college athlete is kicked off his team for having sex. and new details to the sequel of the most popular movie of all-time.

there are high hopes ahead of today's monthly jobs report. the government is expected to report that 175,000 jobs were created last month. while the unemployment rate likely edged up to 9.1%. many economists are raising their expectations after the number of people filing for unemployment benefits sank last week to the lowest point in nearly three years. optimism ahead of the jobs report has stocks is rising this morning. tokyo's nikkei average gained 1% today. hong kong's hang seng climbed 1.2%. in london, the ftse opened higher. and on wall street, the dow surged 191 points yesterday, its biggest gain in three months. the nasdaq jumped 51. americans are in the mood to shop again. retail sales rose more than 4% in february, well above the expectations.

the strong numbers built on the gains from the holidays. but there are some concerns that this won't last. rising food and gas prices are threatening to reverse the trend. and higher fuel prices are threatening to keep people from flying the major airlines. to help offset the rising fuel bills. prices in the hikes of the prices will probably last at least for a weekly occurrence this year. and some analysts think it might even go higher for some leisure travelers and make them stay home. all right. google's street view is going offroading. the mapping servais lets you go in places. google is capturing the images with this special tricycle with a camera on the back. charlie sheen has been saying it all week. and it appears to be true.

he's a winner. he's going in the guinness book of world records to be the fastest person to reach 1 million followers on twitter. it took him 24 hours and 17 minutes to do it. >> i don't know what it says. but it's a commentary on people watching this enormous train wreck. >> getting tweets from the companies he's sponsoring. >> winning he might be. coming up next on this friday. a story that's unfolding. a high school athlete dies seconds after scoring the winning basket. the new trouble for john edwards. is he about to be indicted. [ female announcer ] think your conditioner is doing the job? [ woman ] ♪ why you gotta be like that? ♪ don't be like that ♪ 'cause i deserve better than this ♪ ♪ did i catch you flying up like that? ♪ [ female announcer ] dry hair needs extra nourishment. introducing dove's first conditioner with a treatment of weightless nutri-oils inside.

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[ breathes deeply, wind blows ] something wrong with your squeegee, kid? uh, i'm a little sick. sick?! you gonna let a sore throat beat you? you're fearless! ahhhhhhhhh! atta boy! [ male announcer ] halls. a pep talk in every drop. new aveeno positively radiant tinted moisturizers, with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on, to even skin tone in four weeks. new aveeno tinted moisturizers. 14 a look at your morning road conditions, flooding on i-40 from little rock to memphis. and on i-70 st. louis to nashville. expect icy conditions around minneapolis, chicago and detroit.

and in colorado, near skiing spots like the vail area and aspen. >> and if you're flying, airport delays are possible in seattle, denver, chicago, detroit, memphis and new orleans. despite a big setback this week, the byu's men's basketball team is gearing up for its next game tomorrow. >> we mentioned yesterday, one player that will not be involved in anymore wins will be brandon davies. he's done for the an after breaking school rules, as abbie boudreau reports. >> reporter: at the strictly mormon brigham young university, all students must promise to adhere to a formal code of ethics that almost seems quaint in 2011. students pledge to not only use clean language, abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea and coffee, they must also promise to live a chaste and virtuous life. one of their star players, brandon davies, broke that code, reportedly confessing to premarital sex with his girlfriend. now, he's been suspended for the rest of the season.

madness. eve of march madness. and this team was on a roll, ranked third. and this player was the power behind it. with davies out, the cougars suffered a stunning loss to new mexico, an unranked team. and now, their chances of taking a national title look slim. despite supporting davies, students across campus today say they support the code. >> we all sign the honor code, you know? we all agree to it. and you know, that's the punishment for it. >> reporter: his coach responded in a radio interview. >> we all know what we sign up for when we come to byu. and the way he handled the mistake is -- he did the right thing. >> it does remind us that people do play by the rules. it does remind us that there is there isnesty. there is honor. and there are people that follow the rules. >> reporter: the school is sticking to its standards. and students may be watching a very different season than the one they had hoped for. legal troubles are piling up

for john edwards. a federal grand jury is about to decide whether edwards violated campaign finance laws, using funds to cover-up his affair with rielle hunter. hunter is suing former edwards aide andrew young to get the tape back. young claims he retrieved that tape from the trash. more teens and adults are waiting to have sex. research showed about one in four young people have never had a sexual encounter. women were more than twice as likely to have had a sex encounter with a same-gender partner than men were. but the guys were twice as likely to have had more than one partner. there are several theories as to why kids are waiting longer. they're aware of the risks, more now than they were. plus, they're also more cautious than their parents were. or at least they're just too busy with other activities. a perfect season for a high

school basketball team in michigan has ended in tragedy. star player wes leonard collapsed on the court just moments after making the game-winning basket last night. he died later at the hospital after an apparent heart problem. he was also the quarterback of the high school football team. the clock is ticking towards a med night deadline for nfl players and owners to reach a new labor deal. as for a stunning result from the nba last night, here's sara walsh at espn news. >> good morning. the heat may have the second-best record in the eastern conference, they have struggled against teams that are above .500. mike bibby, making his debut. first quarter, lebron throwing up the acrobatic jumper. he had 23 first half points. bosh misses the jumper. dwyane wade for the tip-in. wade had 24 in the first half. later in the second quarter,

lebron, to bibby for three. heat would extend the lead, to 18 at the break. magic would come back. j.j. redick, to jason richardson for three. magic down 11. and down nine, jason richardson another three. magic, down six. a minute later, richardson with yet another triple. at one point, miami was up 24 points in the third quarter. it all evaporated. next magic possession, gilbert arenas getting into the long ball game. that would tie the game at 82-82. anderson for the score. and the magic, stunningly, have taken the lead up two. arenas, yet another three. magic, extending what at one time seemed like an impossible lead. two minutes to play. heat trailing by zen. mike miller, trying to keep it close. heat now down to four. last chance for the heat. chris bosh missed the three. lebron, a last chance to tie it. it's no good.

magic shock the heat, 99-96. miami has lost four-straight to teams above .500 record. for all the latest sports news, check out espn.com. now, back to you in the studio. buzz coming from hollywood this morning. one of the stars of "avatar" says the sequel is going to take viewers under water. and michelle rodriguez says, even if she's not in the film, she hopes that director james cameron will invite her to watch it be made. coming up next, why nba stars are in london this morning. plus, updating our top story. new protests across the middle east today. and america's secret space plane set to launch later today. . but you may not know it can also mean destruction. not just of your joints, but of the things you love to do. and the longer you live with the aching, swelling, and stiffness, the closer you may be to having your favorite things...

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something wrong with your squeegee, kid? uh, i'm a little sick. sick?! you gonna let a sore throat beat you? you're fearless! ahhhhhhhhh! atta boy! [ male announcer ] halls. a pep talk in every drop. and now, a look ahead at the stories we'll be watching this friday. thousands of protesters are set to join massive day of rage demonstrations in the middle east and north africa. the turnout in tripoli is being watched as a gauge of gadhafi's control in libya. the question in wisconsin is will democrat state senators return to act on a plan that would strip state workers of bargaining rights? goer scott walker says if that plan isn't passed today, he's going to start issuing layoff notices to state workers. many economists will show that employers added 200,000 workers last months. but economists say it takes

300,000 jobs to significantly bring down the unemployment rate. president obama heads to florida today. he will join forces with jeb bush to push the importance of education. he'll visit a miami classroom. then, the president will give a speech on winning the future in education. the air force launches its supersecret plane from cape canaveral this afternoon. and final preparations are being made in london where the new jersey nets and toronto raptors are playing two games today. >> that spacecraft, very cool. coming up later on "good morning america," that adorable pup who cheated death, arrives in times square from oklahoma. we're going to find out more about the amazing survival story. and animal lovers here, of course, all want to take him home. >> the celebrity puppy. that's great. making his appearance here in new york. fun, fun, fun. for some of you, your local news is next.

>> for everyone else, the late-night comics take on, of course, who else? but charlie sheen. enjoy. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means i can do more with the ones i love. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today.

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most dentists rely on for sensitivity. all right. finally, this morning, you may be thinking that you may have heard more than enough about charlie sheen. we certainly have around here.

we can quote him verbatim. >> i don't know if too much is really enough. that's the question. people are saying, how much is too much? especially in the hands of the greatest quipsters on tv. >> in the last 24 hours, everyone but cbs sat down with the world's biggest newsmaker. >> tonight, charlie sheen, in his first live television interview. >> his first morning show interview. >> his first television interview. >> charlie sheen speaks out. >> tmz had an exclusive interview. >> yes. every one of those interviews was just as exclusive as the women charlie sheen hires. >> charlie sheen mania that's sweeping the country right now. he's everywhere. charlie sheen joins twitter, two days ago. two days ago. he already has 1.4 million people following him. yeah. isn't that crazy? so, to be fair, most of those

people work for the center of disease control. >> did you hear this? charlie sheen told e! news he plans to release his own fragrance. yeah. it combines a delightful aromas of sweat, cigarettes and denial. >> the twin boys are now under the care of their mother, in a safer place, libya. and one thing i will say about this whole thing is this. brett favre owes charlie sheen a thank you note. suddenly, e-mailing a picture of your private parts to a masseuse seems quaint and harmless. >> that's very true. there was a time when the worst thing that happened to charlie sheen was the heidi fleiss scandal. >> he was back on twitter overnight. he tweeted something, as only he could. >> right. >> he says, the title of my book has finally been delivered through vast and extensive lunar channels,